Week 6 - Golden times in the City of Gold

Today is Nelson Mandela's birthday and South Africa has found a unique way to celebrate it. Instead of throwing parties and, spending thousands on jubilation the great man has urged everyone to give 67 minutes of their time to others. Nelson Mandela gave 67years of his life fighting against injustice and, this is one of the best celebrations ever.What a noble thought!

 This portrait is kept in Nelson Mandels's house in Joberg.  Look closely and on the left you will see Robben Island (where he was imprisoned) and his footprints in shackles, and once the footprints are on land the shackles come off .

I can't believe that it’s been over a month that I have been in South Africa. The affection and hospitality that I received wherever I went has been overwhelming. Working on the project for Mr Price, we got a chance to interact with the suppliers. Two of the suppliers, Traffic and La Bora actually invited us to visit their offices. The visit to both the suppliers has been very helpful to the project. It definitely broadened our outlook as we could now relate better, with a suppliers perspective. Traffic is a apparel supplier and, the opportunity gave me a chance to see all  the activities involved in making a piece of garment from the scratch. La Bora is a footwear supplier and, I got a chance to see the whole process of shoe-making, firsthand. The staff at both the offices was very kind and helpful in answering questions. These visits will be very beneficial to our internship project. The internship at Mr Price was my first tryst with the retail world and, the project has given me a good understanding of the process, even from a suppliers viewpoint.

Like the shoes? I like them even more after knowing about the hard work that goes into making a pair.

Mr Price took us (interns) to Johannesburg this weekend. At out helm, this time was Edwina from HR. People from work had always told us about Joberg's fast paced life, the long work hours and, the amazing standard of living. Well we got to witness it all. The two nights there were pretty hectic, if I might say so. Edwina and her friends made sure we had no reason to complain. Both the nights, we danced till early morning to the best possible music and the most amazing crowd. Thanks a lot Edwina!!!

Edwina, our guide in Johannesburg.

Nelson Mandela Square

Mr Price had organized a Soweto tour for us. During the apartheid regime, Soweto was a township for the minority. Later Soweto came to the worlds notice in 1976, during the uprising against the government’s policy of education restrictions. During a protest, organized by the school children, the officials opened fire and many students were killed. That proved to be a crucial turning point in the fight to end apartheid. Our guide was a great source of knowledge and we learnt a lot the living conditions, the African struggle for a secular country and even visited a organized working for the betterment of kids.

The  stadium where the 2010 soccer world cup  was held.



Soweto was definately not as we imagined. Look at the house

Nelson Mandela's house is now a museum. He came back to this house after release from prison.

Hector Peterson was one of the children who was killed in the Soweto Protest. Later his image beacme a symbol of fighting against opression. Google his name and you will see the most heart wrenching picture .

I must mention a visit to a local school. The school is run by volunteers and sponsored by donations. “Kliptown Youth Program” is providing education to the kids in the poor neighborhood in Soweto. They also run programs to promote AIDS awareness among the youth. Apparently 20% of the folks are HIV +ve and, a lot has to be done to bring down the numbers. It was heartwarming to see the kids enjoying school and, also getting a special vocation that they could latter turn into a career. Please log on to http://www.kliptownyouthprogram.org.za/ if you want to learn more about this amazing program.

Kids at the Kliptown School. One of the best things about the school is that the students should be self motivated and willing to change their lives. There is no compulsion from the NGO at all.

Well, that’s about all I did this week and in two weeks I will be witnessing my life’s first ever safari and I am pretty stoked about that. J